Past is Prologue
by ifyoucanfindmeimhere
Summary: "Besides-" Andy stopped in the hallway and turned to Rusty, a sudden sad expression on his face. "However much you think her kids don't like you, don't worry- it's me they hate. And no matter what actually happened today, or what Sharon tells them, I'm certain the second they saw me they were convinced that I was personally responsible for her getting shot. Again."
1. Chapter 1

The pounding of his feet echoed against the white linoleum floor he ran through the corridor, only faintly aware of the startled looks of those around him and the shouts to slow down and be careful. Bursting through the door marked Surgical Waiting Room, he looked around frantically till he saw a familiar face, and made a dash towards him.

If he was taken aback by Rusty's entrance, he didn't show it. Instead, Provenza rose and caught Rusty by the shoulders as the younger man screeched to a halt in front of him.

"Calm down, son. She's okay"

Rusty narrowed his eyes, and took in the expression on the old man's face, the kind if slightly sad look in his eyes. Nodding, Rusty took a moment to catch his breath and relax, then looked back up. "What happened? Buzz told me she was shot."

Buzz himself came through the doors at exactly that moment, slightly breathless from his own mad dash trying to keep up with Rusty. Provenza nodded, and then waited for the other man to join them before continuing.

"She was, but she's okay. The shot grazed her shoulder, tore up some muscle, but nothing life-threatening. She's just gotten out of surgery to remove the bullet- Flynn's with her now."

Rusty felt nauseous, and took several deep breaths to try and control his rolling stomach. "Where?" he asked, and for the first time he looked around the room, and realized her whole division was there- Tao, Sykes, Sanchez, even Agent Howard.

"Room 507, just down the hall." Provenza pointed to the right, and Rusty turned towards the door, then stopped himself. "Did you guys at least get the bastard who did this to her?"

Provenza shook his head. "It was an accident, kid. Hostage situation, but it was getting resolved. She talked the shooter down, he was about to drop the gun, and SWAT moved in too quickly behind him. Guy whipped around to see what the commotion was about, and accidentally hit the trigger and shot her. But it was nobody's fault."

Rusty narrowed his eyes, but before saying anything else he turned back to the door and left the waiting room.

The door to her room was open and Rusty entered but stopped short just inside. Against the stark white hospital linens, Sharon Raydor looked so small, a contrast to the strong, capable woman he had come to know and who he thought of as a protector and so much more. She was sitting up in the bed, propped up by a mountain of pillows behind her, and dressed in a light blue hospital gown with her right arm in a sling. Lieutenant Flynn was sitting at the side of her bed, listening to something she was saying. Flynn noticed Rusty first, and nodded towards him to get Sharon's attention. She turned her head to take him in, and a soft smile appeared on her face even as she squinted slightly to make him out without her glasses.

"Rusty, I'm so glad you're here." She sounded tired, groggy, but when he didn't immediately come towards her she reached her uninjured arm to him. "Come here, please. It's okay. I'm fine." She gave him another soft smile in reassurance, and Andy stood up.

"Here kid, take the chair. I'm gonna go give everyone the update that our fearless leader is back in the land of the living." As he moved to step away Sharon captured his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Thank you, Andy."

He gave her a winning smile. "No problem, Captain. I'll be back in a bit."

He left, but not before giving Rusty a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and shoving him gently in Sharon's direction. Taking the hint, Rusty approached her and sat down gingerly in the chair, nervous to look at her fully.

"Rusty." She said his name in that way of hers, the one that always made it feel real and substantial, and not like the nickname everyone else always assumed it was. "Rusty," she said again, and reached for his hand. He let her take it, getting no small amount of reassurance from the warmth of her palm, and finally he looked at her.

"I'm fine," she said reassuringly, and squeezed his hand once to make the point. "It's not bad, really. Just a couple stitches. A few days, and I'll be good as new." When he didn't look convinced, she continued. "I think my butt is more bruised from where Lt Flynn tackled me to the ground when he heard the shot." She raised the corner of her mouth in that grin-that's-not-really-a grin she gave him when she was teasing, and he couldn't help but smile in response.

Things have gotten easier between them since the donor situation had been dealt with, and Rusty was just been starting to feel relaxed again in his living arrangement. Even she's been more comfortable, less formal- he likes to think it's because they dealt with the Daniel situation like a team, and with that out of the way they both have had a chance to settle in a little more. It's not like he's fully convinced about what comes next- he knows once the trial is over there will probably be another evaluation of his living arrangements, and though she's never said anything to the contrary, he can't help but wonder if life isn't going to collapse around him once more.

It almost happened today, he realizes. The thought hits him all of a sudden, with the force of a punch. She could have been more badly wounded or, god forbid, even have been killed. Then what would have happened? The same panic he felt when he heard she had been shot rises in him again, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed in his chest.

She gave him an odd look, and he shook his head and tried to appear nonchalant. "When do you get to come home?" Calling her home their home still feels strange rolling off his tongue, but it's started to happen more often, without him even thinking about it.

"Tomorrow, I think." Sharon rolled her eyes. "It's just a precaution- I did try to get them to release me now, but because of the anesthesia the doctor insisted I stay the night." She gave a little huff, and Rusty suddenly remembered a comment she made months ago, back when he had just come to live with her. She had taken him to a follow up appointment for the wound on his leg, the one from Stroh's knife, and as they waited for the doctor to appear, she had made a comment about hating hospitals. At the time he had thought it was just her trying to empathize with him, and had been irritated by it. Now he wondered if there wasn't more to it than that.

"I'll stay here tonight," he blurted out, then blushed when he realized how that sounded. "I mean, I can stay here and keep you company, if you want."

She looked genuinely touched by his offer, and reached out to tousle his hair gently. "That's very sweet of you, Rusty, but I'll be fine. It's just one night, and you have school tomorrow- you should go home and sleep in your own bed."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "Sorry, no negotiation on this one." She gave him another soft smile, one that reached her eyes and took the sting out of her words. "Lt Flynn said he'll be happy to take you home, stay the night with you, or if you prefer, Lt. Tao said you could sleep at his house tonight, he has a son about your age."

He shook his head. "No, I'll stay at home. But-" He tried to protest once more, but even just out of surgery, she was still too quick for him. "Nope, not gonna work."

Defeated, he looked away, and she studied him for a moment before softening her tone. "But, I would love it if you stayed with me a little while right now." She yawned, and looked a little sheepish. "I think they slipped me something in my IV, I'm getting sleepy again."

Rusty nodded solemnly. "You should rest. You've had a rough day." She shifted slightly to get more comfortable, and winced as the slight movement pulled at her shoulder. She reached out for his hand once more, and gave it another weak squeeze. "I'm just going to shut my eyes for a minute," she said, her eyelids drooping. He waited, but she didn't release his hand, even as her breathing became deeper and more rhythmic as she slipped off to sleep.

* * *

"Frankly, I'm just surprised it wasn't that juvenile delinquent that did this to her…oh!"

Rusty awoke, disoriented at the sudden sound and took in the two unfamiliar figures in the doorway from his odd sideways perspective. At some point he had leaned over from his position on the hard plastic chair to rest his head on the edge of the hospital bed.

Sharon's bed.

Sharon was still asleep inches away, her own head angled towards him.

He sat up suddenly, and Sharon's hand dropped from where it had still been holding his as he pulled away. The movement woke her, and she blinked several times groggily before opening her eyes and giving him another smile. In response, Rusty stared ahead at the intruders, and issued a quiet, nervous "Sharon."

She followed his gaze, and as she made eye contact with the newcomers, there was a chorus of "Mom!" and a sudden rush towards her bedside.

Startled, Rusty stood and backed up to the far corner of the room as he watched them each lean down to hug Sharon gently. Of course, these would be her children. She had spoken about them to him occasionally, and he heard her side of the conversation when they called, but he had never met them. In his head, he somehow never thought that he would- they were grown, she had told him, had their own lives, and aside from holidays they didn't get a chance to see one another that often. Rusty had heard about the annual Raydor family gathering at some ski resort or something every year, but he never once thought he'd go to one; he always figured for however long his stay with her eventually turned out to be, her kids would continue to be a rarely-heard and never-seen presence in his life.

Except she had been shot. So of course they were here. The justification didn't make Rusty any more comfortable; if anything, it made it worse, something else that was unplanned, that could go wrong. And had the girl called him a delinquent?

"Rusty." Sharon's voice cut through the progressively frantic loop in his head. "Rusty, come here, I want you to meet my my children."

He approached the bed again reluctantly, stopping just on the side of the chair, and took in the two people on the other side of her bed.

"Johanna, Chris. This is Rusty. Rusty, these are my kids, Johanna and Chris."

Rusty eyed them warily, even as he mentally compared them to the few photos he had seen in Sharon's house. Johanna Raydor's slender, lanky frame was accentuated by an oversized hoodie, and she had her mother's sharp green eyes and features but her hair was darker and cut short. Christopher Raydor was everything Sharon was not- tall, broad shouldered, and with a shock of red hair that seemed out of place with the dark business suit he wore.

"Hey." Rusty mumbled the greeting, and Johanna offered a similarly unenthused response. The boy offered his hand, and Rusty shook it reluctantly before retreating back a step from the bed.

Sharon watched the exchange and sighed, before turning back towards her children. "How did you guys get here so quickly?"

"I left as soon as I got the call, and picked up Jo on the way down," Chris said, shrugging. "The LA traffic gods were merciful for once."

Sharon smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you both, but you didn't need to come all the way down here for this." She lifted her injured arm slightly to make the point, and winced immediately at the pain the movement brought.

"Jesus mom, the department called and said you got shot. What did you think we were going to do? Finish up the workday and go to class, and just wait for a text to see how bad it was? We called three times on the drive, but no one could tell us what was going on, they just kept saying you were in surgery."

In contrast to her mother. Johanna's voice seemed to go up in pitch as she got more upset, though as she crossed her arms with a huff, Rusty could see that the Raydor glare was an inherited trait.

Sharon patted the bed next to her, and waited for her daughter to take a seat.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I should have thought to have someone call you guys to let me know it wasn't that bad. And it's not that bad. Really." She gave her daughter a reassuring smile, but it didn't seem to work.

"You got shot, mom. I don't care what you say, that's a big deal. We told you this would happen, remember?" She gestured to her brother to make her point. "This is exactly why we didn't want you to take this new job. It's too dangerous."

Sharon sighed, her patience for the old argument already nonexistent. Rusty watched as she leaned her head back against the pillows, stretching her neck in the way she did when she was fighting a headache after a long day or an especially disturbing case. Anger flared in him as they continued to badger her, unaware or uncaring that they were causing her further pain. He wondered if the hospital had any green tea- it was what he would make for her when this happened at home- she said it made the headaches go away.

"-come on mom, don't you remember what happened last time? Is this job really worth it?"

Sharon massaged her temple with her left hand, and Rusty opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

"Of course, I remember, and can we please not talk about that now- Andy!" The relief on her face was obvious as Flynn knocked on the door once before stepping in.

"How you doing, Captain?"

Sharon smiled weakly. "As well as can be expected, I'm sure. Do you remember my kids?"

Andy strode up to them confidently, a wry grin on his face. "Of course. Though, you two were both actually kids when I saw you last. Chris, right? " He stuck out a hand to Sharon's son, who hesitated just briefly before shaking it. "Andy Flynn," he said, before turning towards the scowling young brunette. "And… don't tell me.."

"Johanna," the girl said coolly, narrowing her eyes at Andy as she shook his hand.

"It's great to see you two again. Though I wish the situation had been better."

Chris and Johanna both murmured their agreement, and Sharon sighed. "Lieutenant Flynn is in my new division. He's been very kind in helping me learn the ropes of Major Crimes."

"I bet," Johanna said, though she had the decency to look chagrined at the comment before Sharon could say her name in a low, warning tone.

Flynn looked from Sharon, to Rusty to her children, and no one said anything for a long moment until he cleared his throat. "Tell you what Captain. I'm starving. Why don't Rusty and I go find some dinner, and give you and the kids some time to catch up. "

Sharon looked visibly relieved. "That is a wonderful idea Andy, thank you." She turned her head to look at Rusty, who had once again backed away all the way to the corner of the room. "Rusty, you must be hungry too. Why don't you go with Lieutenant Flynn, and I'll see you in a little bit?"

Rusty looked from her to her kids then back to her again without saying anything. He didn't want to leave her, but he also was dying to get away from her children. Her _biological_ children, he reminded himself.

"There's a diner down the street that does pretty good burgers. We'll get a bite and be back here in an hour." Andy gave Rusty a smirk and looked meaningfully towards Johanna and Chris before nodding his head towards the door.

Reluctantly, Rusty agreed and took a step forward. "Are you sure you're alright? Do you want me to bring you back something to eat?" he asked Sharon. She smiled, the first genuine smile he'd seen from her tonight. "Yes, I am. And thank you, but no. I don't really have an appetite right now. But you go, eat, and then I'll see you in a little bit, ok?"

Rusty nodded and walked towards Flynn who was already at the doorway. He turned around, wanting to tell Sharon how glad he was that she was ok, but her children had already surrounded her and were speaking in hushed tones.

"Come on, kid." Andy said, placing a reassuring hand on Rusty's shoulder. Rusty followed him into the hallway and set off towards the exit. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Rusty turned to Flynn. "What did we ever do to them? "

Flynn sighed. "Try not to take it personally. I'm actually surprised they were that congenial- they certainly weren't the last time I saw them." At Rusty's raised eyebrows, he shook his head, indicating that whatever more there was to this story, he wasn't going to be telling it right now.

"Lets just say they do have a reason to be a little protective. Besides-" he stopped in the hallway and turned to Rusty, a sudden sad expression on his face. "However much you think they don't like you, don't worry- it's me they hate. And no matter what actually happened today, or what Sharon tells them, I'm certain the second they saw me they were convinced that I was personally responsible for her getting shot. Again." He didn't wait for Rusty to react, and set off towards the parking lot.

Momentarily stunned, Rusty shook it off and jogged to catch up with the older man, determined that he'd get the rest of the story out of him.


	2. Chapter 2

"So what did you mean before? About blaming you for Sharon getting shot?"

They had ordered their burgers, and not realizing how thirsty he was, Rusty downed half of his coke in the first gulp. Unable to wait any longer, as soon as the waitress refilling his glass had left Rusty fixed Flynn with an expectant look, and waited for the older man to tell his story.

"Rusty, it was a long time ago, and if the Captain hasn't told you, I don't think I should be bringing this up."

"You didn't bring it up. Her kids did. I didn't know that Sharon had been shot before. How long ago? Was she hurt bad? What happened? Why do they blame you for it? You didn't shoot her accidentally or something, did you?"

"No!" The statement came out more forcefully than he intended, and Andy looked around sheepishly before amending the statement. "No, of course not. But I didn't help the situation much, either," Andy sighed. "Honestly, I don't blame them for hating me for what happened. I hated myself for a really long time. I still do, actually."

Andy fell silent, and took a sip of his iced tea. Rusty was about to inquire again when Andy sighed and turned back towards him. "You know I used to be an alcoholic, right?"

Rusty nodded. It wasn't something anyone had told him, but he had picked up enough from some comments Flynn made, and the way he had seemed to understand when Rusty had asked about keeping a minibar out of his mother's hotel room. Plus, the night the squad had taken him and Sharon out to dinner to celebrate after the donor signed over his parental rights, he had noticed that while everyone, even Sharon, had had a beer, Flynn had kept to soda.

"Before she took over Major Crimes, the Captain and I used to work together."

"Yeah, I knew that. She was helping Brenda with some lawsuit or something, right?"

Andy shook his head. "No. Well, yes, she did help Brenda, but this was way before the Chief, or even all of Major Crimes. About 20 years ago, we were both in Robbery/Homicide at the same time. We were partners."

"Really?" Rusty smirked. "How did I not know this?"

"No one knows." Andy shrugged. "It's not really a secret- I mean, anyone could look at our personnel records and figure it out, but no one has. Provenza doesn't even know." He looked at Rusty pointedly. "Anyway, we were working this case, and it went bad-" Andy's voice trailed off, and he looked out the window into the street, seemingly lost in his own mind.

After several long seconds he turned back and shrugged at Rusty. "-and Sharon, well, she wound up getting shot in the crossfire," he sighed, and gave the waitress a weak smile as she set their food out in front of them.

"What happened?" Without looking down, Rusty pulled a french fry from his plate and ate it, looking expectantly at Flynn until the older man reluctantly explained.

"We had been following this asshole guy who robbed liquor stores at gunpoint late at night down on the east side. He always had a kid, this little girl, maybe five or six years old, that he brought along for the jobs- you could always see her on the surveillance tapes sitting in the car just crying and crying as he went in to rob the places at gunpoint. We got a call one night late about a robbery in progress, and we just happened to be really close by to the scene.

"_Joe!" He lifted his glass and tipped it towards the bartender meaningfully._

"_Don't bother Joe, he's just leaving." Andy smiled despite himself at the sound of the smoky alto, and as he felt her slide onto the stool next to him at the bar, he turned and flashed her his most winning grin._

"_Why you gotta ruin all my fun, Ronnie?" he asked. "It's only-" he looked down at his watch, and scoffed in surprise- "One-thirty? Where'd the night go?"_

"_It's a mystery," Sharon deadpanned, before handing her credit card over to the bartender to settle the tab. "And I told you not to call me that, I hate that nickname."_

"_Sure thing, detective." He enunciated the consonants in the word sharply the way she did when she said it, and when she cracked a smile in response he laughed and knocked back the last of his drink._

_Tucking her card back into her purse, she fixed him with a stern gaze, and gestured to the seedy bar around them. "You certainly can pick them, Andy. You ready to go?"_

_He nodded and got up from the stool, offering her his arm as she did the same. "I don't come for the ambiance, Sharon."_

_She sighed once, sadly, and nodded. The forlorn look on her face sobered him more than the weakness of his last few drinks could have, and he mentally cursed himself for disappointing her again. Or, at least for getting caught._

_They made their way out towards the parking lot, and the colder-than-usual late fall in Los Angeles night prompted him to pull his coat around him a little tighter. For the first time he noticed that instead of her usual tailored attire she had on a pair of tight black running pants and a grey LAPD academy hoody, and her unruly hair had been pulled back into a thick long braid down her back._

"_What, no power suit?" he asked, trying to cover for the sudden dryness of his mouth as the sleek line of her pants left little to his imagination._

"_I wasn't exactly expecting to have to go out again tonight." He felt another guilty twinge at her words, but when he looked up one corner of her mouth was lifted into a slight grin. Still…_

"_Sorry about that Sharon. Joe shouldn't have called you- I started on that last drink a while ago, I'm fine to drive. In fact…" He fished his keys out of his pocket and gestured towards his own beat up clunker parked next to Sharon's silver unmarked. "I''ll just take myself home, save you the trip."_

"_Andy," she said, swooping in close to him, and drawing out the last syllable of his name. He instinctively leaned towards her, savoring the soft smell of her perfume on her skin, and yelped as she plucked the keys from his fingers and pulled back, holding them up triumphantly. "I told Joe to call me anytime he thinks I need to come get you. And you are not driving tonight. I'll drop you off, and we'll pick you your car on the way in in the morning."_

_Her tone left no room for argument, so he didn't. Unlocking the car, he slid into the passenger seat and tossed a look over his shoulder. "Where are the kids?"_

"_You thought I'd get my children out of bed at one in the morning to come get you from a dive bar in this part of town? Really?"_

_He had to admit she had a point._

"_They're with their father this weekend," she said, and he looked up at the resigned tone of her voice._

"_I'm sorry."_

_She shrugged, but he could tell the nonchalance she was trying to convey was mostly an act. "Paul is sober right now, and wants to see his kids. I can't fight him without taking things to court, and we're both trying to avoid dragging this out. All I can do is watch carefully, and wait for things to change."_

"_You mean, for him to fall off the wagon again?"_

_Opening the car door, she gave him a meaningful look. "It does seem to be the way of it," she said, sliding gracefully into the drivers seat. He felt another pang in his gut, and took a moment before opening the passenger side and settling in._

_She sighed heavily for a moment, and paused as she went to turn the ignition on. "I'm sorry Andy. I didn't mean to-"_

_He waved her off. "It's ok Ronnie, I know- I screwed up. I'm trying, but lately it's been tough, and this case isn't helping."_

_She nodded. "We'll catch him soon. He's getting confident- that's always when they get sloppy."_

_Without waiting for his reply she started the car and looked into the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of him watching her intently in the process. She backed the car out of the spot and put it into drive, shooting him a sly grin as she moved her gaze back to the road._

_They traveled in comfortable silence for several minutes, and Andy continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye, once again trying (and failing) to work up the courage to say something to her, to express his shame, or at least, his gratitude. Instead he opened his mouth to ask a question about her plans tomorrow when the radio crackled to life in the car._

"All units, be advised, robbery in progress at Tribute Liquor Store, 562 Soto."

_Sharon looked to Andy. "That's right in Farley's area"_

_Andy nodded and pointed to the upcoming intersection. "There, take a right at Mission." He flipped the switch on the siren and picked up the radio. "Unit 2678 on route, responding officers be advised that suspect may be Michael Farley, consider armed and dangerous."_

_He grabbed the handle on the roof as Sharon took a hard turn and pressed the gas, speeding them through the darkened back streets. "The child, Andy," she reminded him before taking another hard turn onto the freeway onramp. Andy picked up the radio again. _

"_Responding officers, use caution- suspect may have a child in getaway vehicle, do not engage or pursue in vehicle." He set the radio down and turned in the seat to reach into the compartment under the back seat. "Guess you were right Ronnie, we are going to get him soon. Like right now."_

_Sharon took her eyes off the road long enough to give him a wicked grin. "About time we catch that bastard in the act."_

_Andy settled back in his seat, his extra service weapon now in his hand, and opened the glove box to retrieve hers. She looked down at the guns in his lap briefly then back to the road, asking "are you sure you're okay for that?"_

_One more hard turn and the liquor store was visible several blocks in the distance, the bright lights on the black and whites already on the scene highlighting the action taking place. Andy nodded. "Yep, never better. Bet you're glad you had to pick me up now, huh?"_

_Sharon tried to keep the satisfied grin off her face, but she couldn't deny the adrenaline coursing through her veins at the thought of actually getting to apprehend Farley themselves after all this time chasing him. "Vests," she said, pulling up behind a squad car on the corner. Andy reached back into the backseat and returned with two bulletproof vests. Stopping the car, Sharon jumped out and took the offered vest, strapping it around herself before grabbing her gun. She looked up at Andy, his own gun in place and nodded._

"_Lets go get this asshole," Andy said, and they moved together towards the front of the store._

"So did you guys arrest him?" Rusty was engrossed in the story, so different than the methodical action that seemed to be the way of most their activity in Major Crimes. The image of Sharon in action intrigued him- even after months with her, seeing her formidable skills in action over and again, he still sometimes was surprised that she was a police officer.

Andy winced. "By the time Sharon and I got there, the uniforms had him surrounded right outside of the store. Only they didn't know about the kid- I guess they didn't hear the information on the radio- and somehow in the commotion, she had gotten out of the car and walked right into the middle of the standoff."

"Shit," Rusty swore softly, and Flynn nodded. "Yeah."

"So this guy is surrounded by cops, and still won't drop his gun. Then he sees the kid walking towards him, and he just loses it, points the gun straight at the kid and says he's gonna kill her unless we let him go. And he would have, too. Sharon yells at me to go around to the side, and I assume she's going to do the same so we can come up behind him while he's distracted. Only next time I look, she's not there..."

_Andy looked up across the uniforms, and tried to catch sight of Sharon so they could move in unison. He doesn't see her immediately, and he starts searching the scene, trying to make her out in a sea of burly uniformed officers, their guns drawn- and each one with a look of horror on his or her face. Andy is confused until he shifts his gaze once more- the little girl is still standing right in the line of fire, crying and frozen in place, but now Sharon is there too, trying to coax the little girl towards her. Too late, Andy realizes his mistake-his movement to the side had distracted the gunman, and given Sharon the opening she needed to jump in and get the girl out of harms way. But his focus on Sharon has tipped off the gunman to her plan, and Andy watched in horror as the suspect turned his attention- and his gun- back on Sharon and the child. _

"_Sharon!" he screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the sounds of multiple shots being fired. He felt his body jerk forward, and the world seemed to slow down as he watched Sharon dive on top of the girl, throwing both of them to the ground. He didn't register the suspect falling to the ground, riddled with bullets- all he could see is Sharon, on the ground, her arm around the child, neither of them moving._

_He reached them first, as the uniforms secured the suspect. Sharon's eyes were closed even as she continued to clutch the sobbing child to her chest. Andy picked up the little girl and handed her off to the nearest officer, then knelt back down to Sharon, gently turning her onto her back. She hissed in pain at the movement, and he looked her over briefly for injuries, stopping as his eyes found the bullet casing lodged in the center of her vest. _

"_Good call on the vest there, Ronnie," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. She nodded then hissed again, at the same time an officer behind him urgently pointed beside him. "Detective, look." _

_Andy followed his gaze confused until he saw the pool of blood gathering on the ground. Following the steady trail of blood up, he froze at the sight of a large hole in the fabric of Sharon's running pants just below her hip, revealing jagged, torn flesh underneath. In the distance he heard someone yelling to call for an ambulance, and only later did he realize that the panicked, cracking voice was his._


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who has been following along on this story, and especially those who have taken the time to let me know. Very glad you're along on this crazy ride! A little more past history here- I promise we'll get back to the current-day story soon!**

* * *

"What happened?" Rusty asked quietly, horrified by the turn of events he had just heard.

"The bullet missed the little girl, but got Sharon high up on the leg. Did a lot of damage to the muscle and nerves, and nicked the femoral artery. She started to bleed out right there, waiting for the ambulance to come."

Rusty watched as Andy looked away, a haunted look in his eyes. "They took her straight to emergency surgery for hours, trying to fix the blood flow to her leg. Her husband came, her kids came, they were crying. Finally the doctor came out and said that she'd be okay, took the family in to see her. When they came out, Paul- her husband- came back out and sat down right next to me."

...

"_So she's alright?" Andy asked, the panic of the last few hours finally starting to ease as Paul shook his head in the affirmative._

"_As best as can be expected. The doctor said there will be a lot of rehab to get her back on her feet, but eventually she'll be alright."_

"_She's tough. She'll do just fine," Andy said, trying to convince himself as much as the man next to him._

"_She's asking for you," Paul said, and as Andy jumped to his feet, the other man clasped his large hand around Andy's arm tightly._

"_You know, it's the strangest thing. When I picked the kids up from Sharon this afternoon, she said she was off-duty tonight, had no plans. So imagine my surprise to get a phone call at two in the morning telling me my wife has been shot as part of a standoff all the way over on the east side."_

"_We, uh-" Andy trailed off, momentarily at a loss for words._

"_The life of a cop, I suppose. Never know when or where crime is going to strike. Though, you live over that way, don't you Andy?"_

_Without giving him a chance to answer, Paul let go of Andy's arm, and got up, gesturing towards his children, huddled together on a chair on the other side of the waiting room. "I better get them home. Good night, detective."_

_..._

"Bastard!" Rusty's vehemence made Andy smile momentarily, and roused him from the memory. "Yeah, he is. But he was also right."

Rusty cocked his head in question.

"It was my fault Sharon was out there. The kids and her, they had a house near where you guys live now, she never would have made it over to that liquor store in time. We wouldn't have even gotten the call-out. The only reason she was there, the only reason she got shot, was because she had come to the bar to take me home.

Rusty cringed. "Well, what did she say when you went in to see her?"

Andy frowned, and looked down at his mostly-untouched veggie burger for a long moment before meeting Rusty's inquisitive gaze. "By the time I got in there, she was asleep from the pain meds."

"Well, what about the next day?"

"I didn't go back to see her."

Rusty gaped, unbelieving. "What do you mean?"

"I chickened out. I didn't go see her. I figured she'd wouldn't want to see me anyway... then the next few days I got slammed trying to resolve the case, and didn't get away. I called the hospital a few times, but every time I got her room no one answered. Then they told me she'd been discharged home, and I swung by to see her..."

...

_Andy took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He glanced back towards the quiet, well-maintained houses up and down the block. _This is ridiculous_, he told himself. It was just Ronnie. Sure, she'd be pissed he hadn't stopped by in the hospital. She would would probably razz him a bit, but she'd also understand. He'd been thinking about her constantly since she had gotten hurt, and was relieved to hear that she'd been released from the hospital- surely the wound really wasn't that bad, if she was home after only three days. He promised himself that he'd make it up to her, help her in any way he could until she was back on her feet. _

_He heard footsteps approaching, and a creak as the heavy stained wood door as it opened to reveal Sharon's nine-year-old son._

"_Hey," Andy said brightly, secretly relieved that one of her kids had answered. She wouldn't yell at him too badly if they were home. "How's it going, buddy?"_

_Chris, who had always before been excited to see Andy, was quiet and sullen, and he glanced down at his feet for a moment before muttering a simple "fine."_

_Cocking his head, Andy peered past the bright, high-ceilings and hardwood floor of the entryway towards the back of the house. He spied young Johanna peering around the doorjamb to the kitchen looking at him, and he waved. Instantly, she ducked back out of sight._

_Puzzled, Andy turned back towards Chris. "I came to say hi to your mom, see how she's doing. Is she around?"_

_Chris shook his head. "She's laying down right now. The doctors said she's supposed to rest a lot."_

"_Oh." Andy made a move towards the stairwell leading to the upstairs bedrooms but Chris cut him off. "She's, uh, in the guest room right now, she can't get up the stairs because of her leg." Andy's looked down the hallway to his right, and was surprised to see a wheelchair parked side outside the guest room._

"_Yes, she's sleeping- and I don't want to wake her." The deep voice of Paul Raydor coming from the top of the stairwell startled Andy- Sharon had been separated from her husband for close to a year- what was he doing here?_

_Paul made his way down the stairs, and answered the unspoken question. "Sharon's sister is out of the country for work, and can't get here till next week to help out with the kids, so I took a few days off work to help out." Paul reached the bottom of the stairs and walked up toe to toe with Andy, reaching his hand out. Andy reciprocated, schooling his expression carefully neutral as the other man squeezed his hand unnecessarily tightly. Not for the first time Andy had to force himself to relax around Paul Raydor- he was the kind of man who could ruffle his feathers in an instant._

"_Sharon had a rough time at the hospital, she was very uncomfortable, so it's a relief that she's been able to get some sleep now that she's home. I'm sure she'd love to see you, but I'd hate to wake her- surely you understand." Paul's ice blue eyes were piercing and narrow set, and Andy couldn't help but wonder, for the millionth time, what Sharon had ever seen in this man._

_With a twist, Andy wrestled his arm away from the grip of the other man, and met his intense gaze with his own. There was a beat as both men appraised each other. Finally, Andy nodded once, curtly. "Of course, she needs her rest." He lifted the bouquet in his left hand, and offered it to Paul. "Can you make sure she gets these?"_

_Paul smiled, though it looked more like a sneer. "Of course."_

"_And tell her I came by. And to let me know when she's feeling a bit better, I want to see her." Paul nodded took another step towards him and reached around Andy's body, opening the front door._

"_And if she needs anything, any time, please tell her to call."_

_Paul held out his arm, nearly ushering Andy out the door. "Yes, I will let her know. Thank you, Andy." _

_Andy almost stumbled across the doorjamb, and as soon as he was across Paul began to shut the door. Grabbing the side of the door, Andy caught it and peered back in the house, where both Sharon's children were now watching from behind the kitchen door. "Bye kids!" Andy said with false brightness, and waved. He stepped back onto the porch before he could get a response._

"_Have a good day, Lieutenant," Paul said as he shut the door, and Andy heard the master lock engaging with a hollow click._

What the hell was that. _Andy considered knocking on the door again, demanding to see Sharon, but thought better of it. She did need her rest, and he didn't want to disturb her just because he had gotten into a pissing contest with her asshole ex. Dejected, he walked back towards his beat up Taurus, which looked terribly out of place among the rows of green, manicured lawns on this block and Paul's black Mercedes. Opening the door, he got into the car and sagged against the seat. Fuck, he needed a drink._

...

"So what happened?" Rusty asked.

Andy shrugged. "Nothing. I didn't hear from her. I called a few more times, but she was never available for some reason or another- sleeping or physical therapy or whatever. She never called me, either. She was out for three months, and when she finally came back to work she was still on crutches, so they assigned her to IA doing desk work.

"But you talked to her then, right? Figured it out."

Andy shook his head sadly. "I wish."

_..._

_The elevator chimed on the 7__th__ floor, and Andy sighed. It had been a long day, and all he had thought about for the last several hours of it was the burn that first sip of bourbon would make as it seared its way down his throat, and the blessed way it would blur the faces of the family that stared back at him every time he closed his eyes, the way they had been in the picture on the murder board- whole and happy- not the way he had found them this morning, with bullet holes in their heads._

_Looking down at his feet, he sighed again, and then felt his breath catch in his throat as a rubber tip attached to an aluminum pole came into his field of vision. Unable to escape, his gaze traveled to a single black pump and two legs- one slender and shapely in impeccably tailored pinstriped slacks, the other held a few inches off the ground, and covered ankle to hip in a bulky black brace. His gaze rose further, and his worst suspicions were confirmed._

"_Sharon," he said, and he winced inwardly at how foreign her name sounded on his lips. He had heard she'd come back to work about two weeks ago, and he'd managed to avoid seeing her till now. He looked around the elevator, but the other officers seemed blissfully unaware of the tension between the two of them._

"_Andy." She gave him a tight smile. "How have you been?"_

"_Uh.. um. Fine. Good. Um. How have you been? How are you?"_

_She shifted on her crutches, and nodded. "Fine. I'm getting there." Sharon looked up, watching the numbers as they descended towards the garage. Out of the corner of his eye, Andy studied her surreptitiously. Even under a loose-fitting blouse and matching jacket he could tell she had lost weight, and her face was tight, the tiny lines in her skin more noticeable than he remembered. As the elevator car bounced to a stop on the bottom floor, he heard a short breath of air escape her mouth, and saw an almost imperceptible wince travel across her features. The doors opened and she swung off the elevator and he scurried to follow her as the rest of the car emptied behind them._

_She stopped suddenly after about 30 feet, and turned around to face him. He approached cautiously, instinctively wishing he had just pretended his car was parked on the other side of the lot- even though she knew full well where his parking place was- just to try and avoid this moment._

"_Well, this is me." Andy cocked his head, confused, and followed her gaze. It took him a second to realize that she was referring to her seldom-used personal car, a late-model white Accord. A red temporary handicapped placard hung off the rear view mirror, increasing the uncomfortable lump in his throat. He turned back towards her._

"_Really Sharon, how are you doing?_

_She gave him a sad smile. "I'm okay. Really. It was a rough few months, but things are getting back to normal."_

"_And the leg?" he asked, frustrated with her lack of detail._

_She looked down at the offending limb, then back up into his eyes with a shrug. "Healing as well as can be expected."_

"_Good.. How are the kids?"_

_She smiled softly. "The kids are good. They get off next week for Christmas vacation." _

"_Lucky them. Bet they can't wait for the holidays- they've always loved the snow."_

"_Actually, we're staying here this year. With everything going on, it just seemed to make more sense. Paul-"_

_His heart sank at her mention of her husband- he had been afraid to ask. "Oh, I get it- keep the family together this year. Good call.."_

"_No, Andy, I…" But he wouldn't let her finish to explain. "Listen Sharon it was really good to see you. Take care of yourself, okay?"_

_She was taken aback by his sudden desperation to leave, "I will. Where are you off to tonight? Malloy's? Fontaines?" She gave him a teasing smirk, and for a second the past few months hadn't happened, and she was just Ronnie, knowing that lecturing him wouldn't accomplish anything, and fishing for his plans so that she knew where to look for him if something happened._

_He shook his head. "Actually, St. Luke's."_

_She looked confused. "New haunt?"_

"_You could say that. I'm there almost every night. The AA meetings are at 8."_

_Her eyes widened, and a bright smile graced her features. "Oh, Andy. That's great. That's really, really great. I'm happy for you. How long?"_

"_Three months last week." By the change of expression on her face, he could tell the significance of the time wasn't lost on her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but he cut her off again."_

"_And actually, I've got to get going or I'm gonna be late. It was great to see you Sharon. I'm glad you're doing well." He took a step towards her, unsure what to do. Hugging seemed too intimate now, after everything, and besides her position on the crutches looked so precarious he wasn't sure he could touch her without upsetting her delicate balance. Yet a handshake seemed too clinical given everything they'd been through together._

_She made the decision, taking a step towards him before reaching out to squeeze his upper arm. "I'm proud of you, Andy. I really am. Take care of yourself, alright?"_

_He nodded, and returned the gesture, and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She smelled the same as he remembered- lavender and some kind of blossom, and the familiarity of it flooded his emotions, and he pulled away quickly while he still could. "You too, Sharon."_

_Her eyes were bright as she nodded once, then turned towards her car._

_His footsteps sounded hollow to his ears as he made his way up several rows to where his car was parked, but instead of getting in he turned around and watched as Sharon struggled to pass her crutches into the backseat of the car before taking two slow, painful hops towards the drivers door and lowering herself gingerly into the seat then guided her left leg to follow with her hands. He watched for several long moments until the parking lights of her car came on and the pristine white Honda backed out of its space before heading out of the garage. He continued to watch the empty place where her headlights had pierced the darkness before getting into his own vehicle and turning it towards a desperately needed meeting._

...

"Then what?" Rusty asked.

Andy shrugged and gestured to the waitress to bring the check, pointing to his and Rusty's largely untouched burgers so she could also bring them some to-go boxes. "Nothing. A few months later she transferred to FID permanently, and we didn't really talk much again after that until she started working on the Chief's case.

Rusty shook his head, "Wow. And what happened to her husband? She never talks about him, but she still keeps some of his stuff."

"I don't really know. I think she wound up fighting him in court for custody of the kids, but by then she was up in FID and-"

"-and nobody would talk to her." Rusty had heard enough muttered comments from people in and around the LAPD to know that Sharon was not well liked by the great majority of her coworkers, and from what he had gathered it had everything to do with her former position in FID. He'd been too angry to think much of it at the time, but in hindsight he remembered some of the things her new team- mostly Provenza- had said about her, and they hadn't been complementary.

"Well. At least you guys are talking again now."

"Yeah." Andy fished his wallet from his pocket and placed several bills on the table before standing. "It pissed Provenza off, but I'm really glad she's in charge at Major Crimes. He is too, though he'd kill me if he knew I told you that." He sobered. "Though after today, she'd be totally right to run screaming back up to FID with its nice desk and secured crime scenes."

Rusty grinned and got to his feet, following Andy out the door of the diner. "Nah. Not gonna happen. She loves it, you know- the fieldwork, the arrests. She told me she feels like a real cop again... She likes all you guys- even Provenza- and being out in the field."

Andy nodded and clasped Rusty on the shoulder as they walked towards the car. "I hope you're right, kid. Bullets have a way of changing everything, though."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again to everyone who has been so wonderful and supportive of the story- your responses are so appreciated, and I am so glad that you are enjoying this.**

**...**

"Ugh." Sharon winced as the nurse checked the incision site on her shoulder, gritting her teeth against the pain the slight movement brought. The doctor's words about muscle and ligament damage in her shoulder whispered in the back of her mind and she tried to shake the memory of surgeries, months of excruciating physical therapy sessions, and all the uncertainty present in her life the last time she had heard those words.

_It won't be like that this time_, she told herself, closing her eyes and leaning back against the thin hospital pillows. A few weeks taking it easy at work, maybe a few physical therapy sessions, or better yet, a massage or two, and then it would be fine. Her job was secure, she wouldn't be replaced or reassigned, her kids lives wouldn't be affected, Rusty…'

Sharon opened her eyes and looked over to where Johanna was perched on a waiting room chair, texting furiously. She waved off the nurse when she offered her a pain pill, and waited for the woman to leave the room before addressing her daughter.

"Can you see if you and Chris can stay with any of your friends tonight? Otherwise let me know and I'll call and get you a room at a hotel."

Johanna narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with your house?"

Sharon shook her head. "Nothing, it's just that I'm not going to be there, and I don't want Rusty to feel threatened. Plus, the guest room is his room now, so there isn't enough space."

"Threatened, by us? What the hell mom, we're your actual children, he's just some juvenile delinquent you picked up off the streets."

Sharon sat up a little straighter in the bed. "Do not say that. You don't know Rusty, you haven't given him a chance. That's my fault. I should have introduced you to him sooner, but it's been a crazy few months and I thought we'd do it over Thanksgiving when we go to your grandparents, have it be a neutral setting for everyone."

"Neutral for what?" Chris said as he came back into her room, carrying three cups on a tray. He handed his sister one before walking over to Sharon and handing her the tallest cup. She took it gratefully, letting the smell of the steaming tea relax her for a moment before she continued with a sigh.

"As I was telling your sister, I would prefer it if you guys didn't stay at the condo tonight. With me not there, I don't want it to be uncomfortable for Rusty. He's been nervous enough about meeting you-"

"What's he got to be nervous about?"

"Jo." Sharon gave her daughter a stern look before turning back to her son. "I don't want him- or you two- to be uncomfortable around each other, so I'd prefer to be there, especially for the first time. You guys will like him, I promise. Rusty's great, he really is. I would like nothing more than for you three to get along- he needs all the support he can get, and as much as everyone at the department is wonderful with him, he needs some positive role models closer to his own age." Sharon sighed, and lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "In sixteen years he's endured more cruelty and pain than anybody should ever know- his own mother abandoned him-twice, he lived for months alone on the streets, and he was brutally beaten by his father just days after being introduced to him. And despite all that, he's smart, caring, and having him around has been a joy."

Chris nodded once, and Johanna continued to glare at her. "And, he's not going anywhere-" she gave Johanna a pointed look "-so telling me again all the reasons why you think I shouldn't have taken him in will get you nowhere. Grow up, and be the good person I know you are."

Exhausted, Sharon sagged back against the pillows once more, and as her shoulder throbbed she cursed herself for refusing the pain pills from the nurse.

"Josh is home," Chris said after a moment, holding up his phone. "He said we can crash at his place tonight."

"Good. Great." Sharon smiled weakly. "OK?" She asked her daughter, who finally nodded in response.

"OK." Sharon held her hand out towards Jo, who was off the chair and next to her mother in a swift moment. "It's been a long day. Why don't you guys go get some dinner, and get settled at Josh's house. Actually-" She reached over to the drawer of the nightstand, and gestured for Jo to open it. "Get some money from my purse, and buy dinner for Josh and his parents. And tell them thank you for me."

"I got it Mom, don't worry about it." Chris waved away her attempt to pay, and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "You just take it easy, okay? Rest, and we'll be back in the morning."

Sharon reached up to stroke his face, moving a lock of unruly hair out of his eyes. "You really need a haircut, you know that?" She gave him a tired wink.

Chris grinned at the familiar exchange. "Mooooom," he droned. "I work behind a computer screen- no one cares what my hair looks like so long as I just keep writing code. Most of my coworkers don't even bother wearing a jacket. My boss wears flip flops."

Sharon shook her head in mock horror. "No child of mine will ever go to work in sandals. Ever." She smiled, and pulled him down to her to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for coming. I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded and stood up, and walked towards the door. "Come on, Jo."

Sharon turned her attention to her daughter. "Go on, go get some food. I'll see you in the morning." Sharon took her daughters hand and squeezed it. "It's really good to see you- I'm just sorry it happened this way."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Johanna suddenly looked much younger and unsure of herself as she looked away from Sharon and bit her lower lip.

"Honey, I'm fine." Sharon pulled her daughter into an awkward hug, and kissed her forehead gently. "Really."

Sharon narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her. "Did you at least bring your laptop with you so you can catch up on the classes you're going to miss?"

Jo rolled her eyes and stood up from the bed. "Yes Mommy, I brought my laptop and I'm getting my assignments from my professors."

"Good girl," Sharon said. "Now, go. Goodnight." She shooed them away, and with a last round of goodbyes, the kids reluctantly left her room.

With the room blissfully quiet, Sharon closed her eyes and leaned back against the bed, letting out a long breath. Between the steady throbbing of her shoulder and the cacophony of bruises she was certain were running down her entire left side, her whole body ached as a painful reminder of her afternoon.

She ran through what had happened in her head again, trying to find fault with her actions and find the second where she should have done something differently to prevent this, but she couldn't pinpoint anything specific. The situation had been run by the book, at least by her people. That SWAT had moved in a bit too soon, well, they had only done so with her team's safety in mind. In these kind of situations, anything could- and did- happen. She certainly had learned that painful lesson many years ago, and then seen it over and over again during her time in IA.

She winced again as her shoulder throbbed, and reluctantly hit the call button on the side of the bed. As she waited for the nurse to bring her some pain medicine, she tried to distract herself from dwelling on the past, on the parallels between this time and last… and told herself that no matter what, history would not repeat itself.

...

Rusty ignored the elevator in Sharon's complex, instead choosing to walk the eight flights up, hoping to burn off some of his nervous energy. The original plan had been that Flynn was going to pick him up from school and they were going together to get Sharon from the hospital. That had changed a few hours ago when he had received a text from Sharon that she was being released early and was on her way home, presumably courtesy of her kids. He had to avoid the temptation to skip his last class and head straight home-he knew she wouldn't approve. As promised, Flynn picked him up immediately after school and they had come back to her apartment.

He hadn't slept well the night before, even with Flynn (at Sharon's quiet request) staying the night. Rusty had tried to insist that Flynn didn't need to stay, that he stayed home alone plenty of times when a case kept Sharon part or all of the night, but Sharon firmly insisted, asking him to humor her, that she just didn't want to have to worry about him for the night.

For his part, Flynn had looked happy enough to accommodate, gamely taking the couch even when Rusty offered him his room, but by morning it was clear neither of them had gotten much rest. Whenever Rusty closed his eyes, he saw the scenario Provenza had described to him: a faceless man holding a hostage at gunpoint, Sharon trying to talk him down, her voice steady and methodical in that way that could be both incredibly soothing and infuriating all at the same time. He saw the suspect flinch and hit the trigger, saw the bullet fly from the gun and into Sharon's body. Only in his dreams, it tore through her chest, her stomach, her head. When he came home from school the condo was dark and empty, the floor bare, the walls white, all traces of Sharon erased.

Jiggling the key in the lock, Rusty took a deep breath before opening the door. The pleasant light of the late afternoon LA sun streamed in through the windows, setting off the deep jewel tones of the walls and furniture. At the sound of the front door opening, Sharon sat up from the couch where she had been resting, and gave Rusty a bright smile. The familiarity of the gesture and the feeling of relief that coursed through him at it left Rusty momentarily stunned, and he murmured a greeting as he kicked off his shoes in the entryway, dumped his backpack on the floor and sat down stiffly on the armchair across from her.

"Hey," he said, confused by his own nervousness around her all of a sudden.

"Rusty," she smiled at him again, then looked past him in question. "Where is Lt. Flynn?"

"He said he had to go back to the station to do one thing, but that he'd be by shortly. He said he's going to bring dinner."

"Oh, that's sweet of him. How was school?"

"Fine." Rusty squirmed in his chair, feeling suddenly uncomfortable under the weight of her gaze.

"Just fine?" she prodded.

"Yeah. I got an A on my history test from last week."

She beamed. "That's wonderful. I'm so proud of you. See, all that extra studying paid off."

"Yeah." He looked around, struck with a thought. "Where are your kids?"

She sighed. "Chris ran to the store to pick up the medication that the hospital prescribed, and Johanna went to visit with a fried." At Rusty's confused expression, she explained. "They were hovering, and it was making me a bit crazy."

"Oh."

Sharon looked at him closely, giving him her best Captain's glare, trying to gauge his reaction, but without her glasses it didn't have quite the same impact. Still, he shifted again on the seat, not sure what to do. He had a million different questions and what if's floating around his head, but he was terrified to voice any of them, for fear that by putting the idea out there it might make it real. As he had been doing all day, he tried to convince himself everything was fine. She was home, she seemed happy to see him. Everything would go back to normal soon. Still, the fear coiled in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm, uh, gonna go do my homework, ok?" Before waiting for her reaction he got up hastily and grabbed his bag.

"Rusty, is everything alright?"

The concern in her voice stopped him on his way down the hallway, and he cursed himself for making her worry about him when it was her that had just been shot. He turned around. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just have a lot of homework."

"OK.'"

He watched as she turned back around, and prepared to lie back down on the couch.

"Sharon." She paused, and looked back over towards him, her face open and loving.

"I'm really glad you're alright."

He turned rapidly back down the hallway, entered his room and closed the door behind him before waiting for her reaction.

It was several hours later when through his headphones Rusty heard a knock on his bedroom door. He looked up to see Flynn peering in. "Hey, kid. I brought pizza."

Rusty nodded. "I'll be right there." When he made no move to get up, Andy came closer. "Come on, I need someone on my side. It's too weird getting the Raydor stare from someone other than the Captain."

Rusty sighed and pushed back from the desk. "I guess I can't avoid them forever."

Andy shook his head. "Nope. Not if I can't either." He clasped Rusty on the shoulder as he passed, and together they walked back into the living room. Sharon was seated at the table, surrounded on either side by Chris and Johanna. Chris noticed him first, and gave him a nod that Rusty returned with a gruff acknowledgement,

Sharon turned in her seat and gave him a smile. "How's the homework going, honey?"

Rusty didn't miss the look the passed between Johanna and Chris, and he cringed inwardly at Sharon's choice of words, but if she noticed her kids reactions, she ignored them and kept her focus on him.

"It's fine. I'm almost done." Uncomfortable, he moved towards the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter, bypassing the vegetarian and honing in on the supreme. Pulling two slices out, he walked back to the table, pausing for a second at the spot to Sharon's left, his customary seat where Chris was now sitting, and before moving instead to the far side of the table. Andy followed, and settled into the seat next to Rusty at the head of the table, and Rusty focused on his pizza and tried to ignore the uncomfortable silence permeating the room.

Andy cleared his throat. "So, how long are you kids sticking around?"

Johanna and Chris shared a look, then Chris spoke. "We're leaving tonight, actually. I've got a big presentation at work tomorrow that I can't miss, Jo has exam's-"

"-that I can make up next week," Johanna said pointedly towards her mother.

Sharon shook her head. "Nonsense. I'm fine, you need to get back to school and take your exams. Besides, Rusty's here if I need anything. And we've gotten along just fine until now, haven't we, Rusty?"

Rusty looked up from his plate into the accusatory glances of her kids, and then at Sharon, who was smiling a little too brightly. "Yeah," he mumbled, and looked back down at his plate.

"But how is he even going to get to school? The doctor said you can't drive till your follow up appointment. How are you even going to get to the doctor?" Johanna's voice was rising again, and Rusty was starting to realize that where Sharon got calmer and quieter when she got upset, her daughter tended much more towards the dramatic.

"I can do it." Sharon looked from her daughter to Andy in surprise. He nodded at the question in her eyes, then she turned back to her daughter. "There, see? Andy's going to help us out, so there is nothing to worry about. I appreciate your concern-" she took Johanna's hand in her own, and turned to Chris with a nod. "-and it was so good to see you. But I'm fine. Go, finish work and school, and I'll see you in a few weeks at Grandma's house for Thanksgiving, ok?"

Chris nodded reluctantly. Johanna was still glaring at Andy from across the table, until Sharon squeezed her hand again. "OK?"

"Fine," the younger woman huffed. "But I still think I should stay."

"I know you do, but I'm fine. Now, eat so you can get on the road. I don't want you guys driving in the middle of the night to get home."

Everyone returned to their food, and as they ate, Rusty watched Sharon out of the corner of his eye. She looked tired and pale as she cut a few small pieces off her slice of pizza, and then pushed them to the side after eating only one piece. She turned to her salad, but again pushed the plate away after only a few tentative bites. She must have felt him watching, because she looked up from her plate to meet his eyes, and flashed him a reassuring smile. Embarrassed at being caught, he stuffed the last bite of crust in his mouth and stood up, taking his plate to the sink before he turned to address the group at the table.

"I'm going to go finish my homework, OK?"

Sharon nodded, and he began to walk off towards his room, but stopped himself and turned around. "It was nice to meet you both."

"Likewise," Chris responded. Johanna just nodded her head towards him almost imperceptibly. Sharon beamed at him, and he exchanged a nod with Andy before turning around making his escape, breathing out a huge sigh of relief as he made it to his room and shut the door behind him.

Sharon turned back towards the table, still smiling despite the pain in her shoulder and the ache of her body. She caught Andy's eye and he smiled back, and she knew they were both thinking about how far Rusty had come in just a few short months.

The table was quiet again for a few minutes before Andy stood with his plate. "Well, I better get home." He took his dish to the sink before walking back towards the table. "Thanks for letting me stay for dinner. I hope you guys have a safe trip home." The response Rusty had received was downright pleasant compared to the hostility in the room as Andy made to leave. He offered his hand to Chris, who shook it stiffly, and gave a little wave to Johanna. "It was great to see you guys again, all grown up."

He turned to Sharon, and laid his hand gently on her uninjured shoulder. "Captain, get some rest tonight. Call if you need anything. And tell Rusty I'll be by at 7:15 to get him to school."

"Thank you, Andy." Sharon placed her hand on top of his in thanks. She went to get up to walk him out, but he stopped her. "No, I'll see myself out. Sit, relax. Call me if you need anything."

She nodded, and gave him another soft smile. "I will."

"Night guys." He called to them again, then as he turned towards the door, shouted another good night towards Rusty's room. He grinned at the muffled response, and let himself out the door, shutting it behind him.

As soon as the front door clicked closed, Sharon turned back towards the table. "Did you two have to be so rude? Really, I know I raised you better than that. Especially you-" she shot a glare at Chris, who had the good sense to look chagrined.

"What did I do?"

"I think you know. You didn't even make an effort to get to know Rusty, and you practically ran Flynn right out the door."

"Good!" Johanna shrieked, her temper flaring. "Maybe this time he'll get the hint."

Sharon was incredulous. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about. It's not enough he got you shot once because he was too drunk to cover you, now twenty years later he has to do it again? When are you going to be happy, when he gets you killed? Besides, I thought you hated him- you told us what that squad said about you, how they treated you- now, suddenly he's your best friend again? Excuse me if I find that a little hard to process."

Sharon took several deep, steadying breaths, and when she spoke her tone was low and dangerous. "I don't know where you are getting your information from…" she shook her head in disgust once. "Never mind, I do know- but all I can say is, you are wrong about everything. It wasn't Andy's fault the last time, and it certainly wasn't his fault yesterday. In fact, if not for him, this-" she gestured to her injured limb- "could have been much, much worse."

Johanna opened her mouth to speak, but Sharon shushed her. "No, you brought it up, you're going to hear it. Yes, it's true that the Major Crimes team was initially a bit difficult to manage, but they were no different than every other division that resented my position in internal affairs. That was my job, to be disliked and avoided."

"And yes, when I first took over for Chief Johnson, it was rough. None of them were happy with the transition, including Andy- but he was the first one to accept it, and his support led the way to everyone else coming around as well. He's been invaluable to me, both as I've been dealing with this brand new job, and as a friend. It's been a long time since I had a partner I could count on- you should be glad that someone has my back again."

Sharon looked from Chris, who was watching thoughtfully, to Johanna who looked like she still wanted to argue. "And one more thing. When Chief Pope offered me Major Crimes, he said it was because there was no one else in the entire department who had the experience, skills and seniority to handle the most elite team on the LAPD. No one but me. I know you guys don't approve of my choice to take the job, but maybe for just a minute, you could be proud of me, instead of telling me that I was wrong to say yes." Sharon looked down and pushed her plate away, suddenly exhausted.

"We are proud, mom," Chris said quietly. "But we're worried about you, too. This job is dangerous."

Sharon smiled, and took her son's hand. "I know you are, and I love you for that. But so is driving down the street, or walking outside. Shit happens." She raised her eyebrows, and as she expected, Johanna finally cracked a smile. "I love my job. And I actually think I'm pretty good at it. Current evidence to the contrary excluded, of course." She looked down at her arm in the sling with a frown, then back at her kids. "But it's OK. It's not going to be like last time. I promise. Besides-" she smirked, and nodded her head towards the direction of Rusty's room. "Between Andy and Rusty, I have a feeling it's going to be a while before they let me back in on a hot pursuit."

"Well, finally, that's something positive to be said about him."

"Jo…" Sharon just wanted to lie down, but she figured they might as well have this conversation too, since she'd been avoiding it for the last few months. "I need you to try and get to know Rusty, and not be hostile. I promise once you do, you'll like him. He's smart, he's considerate, and I love having him here. And if you knew what he'd been through in his life, maybe you'd be a little more understanding of why he's here. But it's not my story to tell, so if you want to know, you're going to have to show him that he can trust you."

Johanna spoke up. "So, he's here, like, forever?"

"I don't know," Sharon said sadly. "He has to testify in the trial in spring, then after that, I'm not sure what's going to happen. He has several options, and I want him to be able to make the choice of what happens to him as much as possible. If I have anything to say about it, then yes, forever. But it's his choice."

Chris nodded, and after a long moment, so did Johanna. "Good. Well, then, if there's nothing else-" she looked from one to the other- "then, I think you two need to get on the road." She pushed herself up from the table with some effort, and hugged Chris before turning to embrace Johanna. "I love you both. Thank you for coming, but please don't worry about me." She walked with them towards the front door, and gave them each a kiss as they retrieved their bags. "Drive safe, alright?" she called as they walked through the door. "And text me when you get in so I know you got there." She smiled at the chorus of "yes, mom's" as they waited for the elevator, and she watched and waved as they got in, turning from the door only when the elevator doors closed on them.

...

In his room, Rusty stood back from where he had been pressed to the door, listening to their conversation. He wasn't sure what to make of all that had been said. He was suddenly desperate to know what they had been talking about when Sharon had said this wouldn't be like last time… he knew about what Andy told her about her getting shot, but obviously there was more to it than that. And though hearing her talk about him so warmly had been a huge relief, her mention of what might happen after the trial made his blood run cold. He backed to his bed, trying to put as much distance between himself and the door, his thoughts swirling, leaving him with a sour feel in his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

Sharon sagged a bit as she shut the front door, exhaustion taking over. She hadn't slept well the night before between the throbbing in her arm and discomfort of the hospital bed. Despite her nap earlier on the couch and what she had told her children as she insisted that she was fine so that they'd agree to go back to work and school, she ached all over. She reached up to adjust the sling where it was digging into her neck, and winced at the pull of the suture line. Rolling her neck to try to reduce the tension, she made her way down the hallway towards Rusty's room, using the wall to support her on legs that were starting to feel a little unsteady.

"Rusty," she called , knocking softly once on the door before opening it a crack. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." He was sitting on top of his bed, laptop open in front of him. He closed the lid as she approached, and at his approval, she sat on the corner of his bed.

"Homework done?"

"Yep. I was going to get ready for bed."

A glance to the clock by his bed told her it was only 9:30. She nodded. "That's certainly fine- I'm going to turn in myself. But you're welcome to watch TV in the living room if you want- I promise it won't keep me up."

Rusty shook his head. "I know, but I think I'm tired. And I have that math test tomorrow."

"Oh…," Sharon looked visibly upset. "I was going to help you prepare for that, wasn't I? I'm so sorry Rusty. Do you need me to go through it with you now?"

He shook his head no, his mop of blonde hair flying all over. "I think I'm okay. Ms. Normand went over it in class, and I think I got it.."

"Ok, well if you're sure…."

"I am." He dropped his gaze to the bedspread, and Sharon felt another pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry about them, Rusty." He looked up, and she could tell from the cloudy look that

came over him that he knew exactly what she was talking about. "I didn't think they'd act like that. You just have to give them a little time. They'll come around."

Rusty laughed once, bitterly. "It's okay, Sharon. Biological kids are supposed to hate foster kids. It's like a requirement or law or something."

Sharon frowned, and felt a stir of familiar rage in her gut at all the people who had treated Rusty like he was less than, or a second class citizen, and especially his own mother who had shown him in the worst possible way that he didn't matter too her as much as a drink, a drug score or a boyfriend. Like it did so often, the desire to take all of his past away from him swept through her. She wished she could erase the childhood he had had, and replace it with the one he deserved- a loving family, supportive parents, siblings who fought and squabbled but ultimately cared about his wellbeing. She had long realized that the world wasn't fair, but being confronted by it on a daily basis in the form of this smart, unfortunate child was something that was hard to reconcile.

She smiled sadly, and reached out to move a lock of blonde hair from his eye. He didn't flinch or pull away, but almost seemed to move his head into her hand, and she smiled sadly towards him.

"That's not how it's supposed to be, and it's not how it will be, I promise. They're family, and you are family. There's no difference."

Rusty didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway before looking back down at the bedspread.

"Okay." Sharon rose from the bed, but the sudden movement made her dizzy and she swayed dangerously before reaching her good arm out and steadying herself against the closet door.

"Sharon?" Rusty jumped up and rushed towards her, but she waved him off. "It's alright, I'm just tired." She pushed off the closet, and this time she felt more stable. She gave him a smile, and met his nervous, scared eyes. "Really, Rusty, I'm fine. Don't worry." She reached out to grasp his shoulder, squeezing it gently before moving through the door and shutting it partway. Peeking her head through the opening, she saw he was still rooted in place. "I'm going to leave the door open, okay?"

In his first few weeks living with Sharon, nightmares had been an almost constant occurrence. The first few times she heard him, she'd come to the bedroom door, knocking gently to wake him up, always checking on him, but never entering his room. One night he had woken with a scream on his lips, and Sharon's knocking, and he had found himself desperate to not be alone. He had invited her in, and she sat on the edge of the bed as he relaxed, offering her silent support.

Since then, even though the nightmares had become fewer, at night he left his bedroom door open a crack, and he had noticed that she now did the same.

He nodded at her question. "That's good."

"Good." She smiled at him again. "Goodnight Rusty."

"Night Sharon."

He stayed rooted in place until her footsteps receded down the hall, and he fought the urge to creep down the hallway to make sure she made it to her room alright. Letting out a shaky breath, he changed into his nightclothes, grey pajama bottoms and a light cotton t-shirt from a concert he had gone to with Ryan on the chess team. He had never heard of the band before, but he'd also never been to a concert, and when he told Sharon about the invitation she had insisted that he should absolutely go, and refused his offer to help pay for his ticket.

He moved by the door once more, listening, but the condo was silent. Shutting off his laptop, he slipped into bed and reached out for his ipod and earphones, then hesitated before placing them them back on the nightstand. He had just shut off the bedside lamp when he heard his name being called.

He shot up from bed and jogged down the hallway. The rest of the condo was dark, but the light was on in her room and he approached it cautiously. He had never really been in her room, except a few quick times when he had to retrieve more toilet paper from under her sink, or a new towel. She had never told him he couldn't, but he'd never felt comfortable spending any time in there; most of the time he already felt like he had interrupted her life enough, to enter her room seemed too presumptuous, too much something he was not entitled to.

"Sharon?" he called as he got to the door. She told him to come in, and he pushed the door open cautiously and stopped himself before stepping through. Sharon was sitting on the edge of her bed, the first aid kit from the kitchen open next to her, and its contents strewn around the duvet. She had removed the sling, and changed her black sweats for a pair of grey yoga pants, and traded the UCSB hoody for a soft lavender cotton nightshirt she had managed to get on by herself. She cradled her injured arm in her lap, her hand clutching the blouse closed as she awkwardly tried to button it with the other hand.

"Rusty," she said with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry to have to ask, but I'm supposed to change the bandage, and I'm afraid I forgot to ask Jo to help me while she was here. Is there any way you could…"

"Sure, Sharon." He moved towards her, pleased she'd asked him, please she trusted him. He wanted to tell her this was no problem, this he knew how to do all too well. When he was nine, his mother's boyfriend at the time had gotten mad about something, had pushed her down the few stairs that lead to the dingy apartment they had shared; for the eight weeks her arm was in a cast he had helped her dress, brushed her hair. He had started cooking then too, trying to cheer her up when she cried about missing Darren, and how the whole thing had been a terrible misunderstanding.

"I think everything you need is right there," she said, gesturing to a pile of gauze and ointment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her fumbling with her blouse, pulling the collar of the garment down off her left shoulder, exposing a thick white pad of gauze across her injury.

Gathering the supplies, he decided not to tell her about his mom. She always got a sad look in her eye when he talked about something in his past. He didn't want to upset her any more.

He heard her sharp intake of air, and looked over just in time to see her peel the old bandage off her shoulder with a barely contained wince, and his blood ran cold. The "simple wound" they had told him she had was a thick line of surgical sutures running along the length of her collarbone for several inches. Her normally pale skin was mottled with purple bruising around the incision line, and just below it, the entry wound for the bullet, though now also sutured closed, still bore angry red evidence of the recent trauma.

Through the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears, he heard her calling his name, but it sounded far away, muffled somehow, and he was transfixed on her injury, and that same panic he had felt when Buzz had met him at school and told her she had been shot came flooding back. _She could have died._ His mind chanted. _She could have died and then you would be nothing again, turning tricks on Sunset to stay alive._

"Rusty." She said his name sharply, and grabbed his wrist with her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. The slight pain of the action brought him out of himself, and he dragged his gaze away from her shoulder to look into her eyes, etched with worry. "You don't have to do this, I'll be fine till morning."

"No!" he said, a little too harshly, and at her widened eyes, retreated. "I mean, I'm fine, I can help. I just… you said it wasn't a big deal, just a few stitches." He pointed towards her shoulder, afraid to get too close. "That's not a few stitches."

Her gaze softened as understanding dawned on her. She squeezed his hand again, more softly this time. "It always looks worse than it is. Believe me. I've been through worse and been just fine. I had to have a C-section when I had Chris, I'd take this over that any day."

"And the other time you were shot?"

She cocked her head at him, the way she did when she was considering some puzzle before her. "How did you hear about that?" she asked, not angry exactly, but he could hear an edge of danger in her voice.

Rusty stammered. "Uh, Andy told me…. It's not his fault though-" he said hurriedly as Sharon's face darkened. "Your kids, they mentioned something at the hospital, and then I asked Andy about it, and he told me.

"Oh." She seemed to think about this for a moment, and then nodded. "Well, then."

Rusty still had so many questions about what had happened that last time, but sensing it was obviously not a subject she wanted to linger on, he instead picked up a package of antiseptic gauze and tore the wrapper open. She nodded her permission and he brought it to her damaged skin, dabbing the suture line lightly. Setting it down, he opened the tube of antibiotic ointment, and the medical smell instantly brought him back to that moment a few weeks ago when she tenderly applied the same medicine to his torn lip, her eyes bright with unshed tears of compassion and fury. As he smeared a small amount of the ointment to a new pad of gauze, his seemed to mirror hers from that time- fear for what could have happened to her, and a tendril of rage too, for her getting shot at all, for having such a dangerous job, for taking such a chance.

He applied the gauze to her skin as tenderly as he could, cringing when she still winced at the contact. He managed to secure the bandage to her skin without causing her any more pain. She smiled at him tenderly as he retreated, stuffing various medical supplies back into the kit as she brought the collar of the shirt back over her exposed shoulder and fumbled with the top buttons for a moment before securing them. They finished their tasks at the same time, and there was a moment of awkward silence between them before he spoke.

"Do you need anything else?" She smiled at the question, and shook her head. "No, honey, I'm fine. You go get some rest." She reached towards him and he moved towards her willingly, his body acting of its own accord, needing to be reassured that she was really alright. She tugged him close to her, pulling him down to her level before she kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Goodnight. Rusty."

He stepped back, throwing her a soft smile he doesn't feel. "Night Sharon." He moved through the door and started to close it, stopping at the same time she called out "leave it open, please." He nodded though she couldn't see him, and made his way back across the apartment, his mind swirling and his heart heavy.


	6. Chapter 6

_Yes, an update! Sadly, it has been so long since the last chapter that many, many things have changed in canon... and I'm not gonna address any of it. So, consider this your A/U warning: this still takes place somewhere in that nebulous time between season 1 and 2, there is no Jackson (though I'm ok with that always being the case), no Dear Rusty letters, and whatever else is different that I threw in there before we had 11 more episodes of canon._ _For those still reading after all that exposition, thanks! _

* * *

She nodded as he held the car door open for her, extending his hand to support her as she got out of his cruiser. "Thanks again for the ride, Andy."

"My pleasure." He nodded to the array of office buildings around them. You're your appointment is in one of these?"

She nodded and squinted behind her glasses to make out the suite numbers. "314… there." She reached back into the passenger seat of the car to retrieve her purse and a small duffle bag, and Andy intercepted before she could sling them onto her shoulder. "Here, let me take your bag."

She looked at him oddly, a response on her tongue about how one of her arms still was working just fine, thank you very much, but swallowed the reply at the open expression on his face. "Okay," she said, handing him both bags.

Straightening, she adjusted the strap of the sling around her neck to a more comfortable position, then took just her purse back from Andy and turned to walk towards the office building.

He stayed a step behind her, letting her lead the way, and admiring as he did the way her hips swayed in the black pencil skirt she was wearing. In the week since she'd been shot he'd found himself getting more and more glimpses of the Sharon he remembered from before- in the occasional unguarded moment when she spoke to Rusty, or how she'd laughed at the ridiculous film the three of them had sat and watched after she invited him to stay for dinner two nights ago. When he first encountered Captain Raydor as part of Chief Johnson's investigation, he had been sure that all traces of the Sharon he had known before had been erased; and even though since then he'd seen glimpses, he found himself increasingly comforted by the fact that she was still the woman she had been twenty years ago, in so many ways.

He jogged two steps ahead of her to grab the door, holding it open for her to pass through, and she quirked her lip in a smirk even as she nodded her head in thanks to him. He tipped an imaginary hat to her, and he caught a hint of a smile cross her features before she could school it away. He didn't bother to hide his own.

In the waiting room of her physical therapists office, Andy tried to concentrate on the old issue of Sports Illustrated he had retrieved from the magazine rack, but instead kept stealing furtive glances at Sharon, who was checking in at the receptionist's desk. As she turned to come sit next to him, he buried his face back in the magazine, feigning interest in the speculation about the outcome of the 2009 World Series. The silence between them was a little awkward, but he could suddenly think of nothing to say that would break it.

The chip of his phone alerted him to an incoming call. He pulled it out of his pocket, and showed the caller ID to her- Tao, hopefully calling with an update on their latest case. She nodded for him to go ahead and take it, and as he answered he got up from the chair and made his way out of the office to speak more privately in the hallway.

When he returned from the call, Sharon was no longer in the waiting room, presumably because her session had started. He picked up the magazine again, and after a few minutes a nurse peeked her head through the door.

"Lt. Flynn?"

Surprised, Andy looked up. "Yeah?"

"Captain Raydor asked that you come to the back -"

"Sure," he said, chuckling to himself as he stood. She couldn't even wait the 45 minutes of her appointment time to find out what the latest on the case was.

He followed the nurse down a brightly painted hallway into a small area that looked more like a boutique gym than a doctors office. Several other patients were working under the watchful eye of a handful of physical therapists, and at first glance he didn't see Sharon at all, until his ears caught the strain of her voice and he turned.

She was sitting on a low bench, her work suit changed out for a pair of Yoga pants and a cotton t-shirt. Her hair was gathered into a loose ponytail, and when she turned to look at him without her glasses as he approached, he was stuck by such a strong wave of déjà vu it was all he could do but stare as his mind brought him back to multitudes of early morning workouts with her in the department gym, her lithe body flexing and teasing him as she would playfully challenge him to races on the treadmills or sparring matches. She had hardly needed the morning workouts, but at some point she had figured out that that they were the only thing that helped clear him of the haze of alcohol from his nights, so it became their tradition every morning before their shifts.

"Everything okay, lieutenant?" Sharon had a quizzical look on her face as she studied him, and he could see her mind working out possible reasons for him to be so unsettled. He shook his head to reassure her.

"Everything's fine, Captain. Hobbs and Provenza confronted Mr. Dorsey about the emails Tao recovered on his computer, and I guess he broke like a cheap glass. Hobbs is wrapping things up now, but it looks like 1st degree manslaughter, 15 years."

"Excellent." Sharon nodded to herself. "Is it just me, or are some of these cases getting easier?"

Flynn shook his head. "Nah, not easier, we're just all getting better at wrapping 'em up, thanks to you."

Sharon blushed at the compliment, but before she could demure someone cleared their throat behind him.

"Excuse me, but if you two are done singing each other's praises, I need to get back to my patient." Flynn looked around to find himself toe to toe with a stern looking woman in blue scrubs.

He took a step back, intent on heading out towards the waiting room, but before he could back away further, Sharon interrupted. "Of course. Lieutenant, this is Pat Torres, my physical therapist. Pat, this is Lt. Flynn from my division."

Flynn studied the woman in front of her as her own sharp blue eyes sized him up as well. Despite graying hair cropped short and a smallish stature he had no doubt she was a force to be reckoned with. Shifting under her pointed gaze, he stuck his hand out and gave her a disarming smile. "Pleased to meet you." The older woman took his hand and shook, her gaze never wavering. "_Andy_ Flynn?" she asked, letting go of his hand and turning to Sharon with a look of incredulity.

"Yeah," Andy said suspiciously. "Sorry, have we met?" He wracked his brain trying to think where he might have come across the prickly physical therapist in the past.

"No," the woman said coolly.

"Pat is a friend of the family," Sharon interjected, trying to break the tension. 'Chris played football throughout high school, and Johanna ran track and was on the dance team, so as you can imagine we spent quite a bit of time here." She sighed. "And she's helped me out a few times along the way as well."

Oh. Suddenly the hostility made a little more sense to Andy. Of course.

Sharon continued. "_Lieutenant_ Flynn is part of my new division, and has been very helpful in getting me acclimated at Major Crimes, not to mention going above and beyond to help with getting Rusty to and from school while I'm out of commission."

"I see," Pat said, and again gave Flynn a glare that made him uncomfortable.

"Well, Captain, now that I've given you the update, I'll just be up front until you're done. Ladies." He nodded to both of them and turned towards the door.

"Wait." Pat said, and Flynn groaned inwardly before turning around. The older woman turned to Sharon. "You're going to need someone to help you through some exercises for your shoulder for the next few weeks, three times a day. Do you have someone who can do that?"

Sharon nodded. "I'm sure Rusty wouldn't mind helping out."

"Okay, but what about when he's at school?" Pat asked. "If I know you, you're already back at work-".

Sharon gave her a sheepish grin. "Limited duty."

Pat guffawed. "Of course. You never change, Sharon. Anyway, someone needs to be able to do this with you during the day, and since Rusty's not here right now, that means that you, Lieutenant, are it."

Sharon looked uncomfortable, and Andy gave her a reassuring smile that he didn't feel. "Sure, anything I can do to help..."

"Good." Without giving them a chance to discuss it further, Pat took hold of Andy's upper arm and guided him to stand directly in front of where Sharon was perched on an exercise beam. Despite his nervousness, he winked at Sharon in response her concerned look.

"Okay, Sharon, so, what we're going to be doing is working on your passive range of motion in your shoulder. The surgeon repaired the muscle that was torn, but unless we start getting it moving, it's going to scar down and lose range of motion, and we don't want that."

Sharon nodded her agreement, and watched as Pat explained to Andy exactly what he was going to do. Instructing him to take hold of her injured arm, Andy waited for Sharon to give her permission before reaching for her wrist where it was nestled in her lap with his right hand, and supported under her elbow with his left.

He struggled to keep face impassive and keep his mind on what he was doing and not think about how soft and warm her skin was under his fingers. As instructed, he held her arm as he brought it to hang down parallel to her body.

"Good, now, slowly I want you to bring her arm up towards horizontal. She won't be able to do it yet, and Sharon, it's going to be painful, but just go as far as you can."

Sharon started to lift her arm, and Pat cut her off. "Nope, you don't do anything. It's a _passive _exercise- that means Andy does all the work for right now." Sharon blushed again, and Andy had to stifle his own grin at her reaction. "Okay, go ahead."

Flynn again waited for Sharon to give him permission before beginning to slowly bring her arm upwards. He switched his glance from her arm to her face, watching her closely for any sign of pain. At about halfway to horizontal she winced and he stopped immediately with a quick succession of apologies.

"Good," Pat stepped forward and nodded. "I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's more than I expected for the first time out. Now, slowly lower her arm back down, and then when she's ready, we'll do it again."

Andy again held the door open for Sharon, who stepped through it with a tired smile before squinting as she stepped out into the bright midday sun. After his lesson on how to help her with her therapy he had excused himself and gone back to the waiting room, with an excuse on his lips about being certain she would want privacy with her doctor. She emerged 45 minutes later, back into her work clothes sans the blazer, which she held along with her purse and gym bag in her right hand.

Wordlessly he had risen from the waiting room chair and taken the bags from her. He had been through enough PT sessions himself after various injuries and accidents to know how she was feeling right now.

She stumbled slightly in her heels, and he instinctively reached out to catch her, but she recovered herself quickly. Still as the approached the car he held his hand just off the small of her back, ready in case she needed him.

Unlocking the car, he opened the passenger door for her and stayed close as she got in, before walking around to the driver's side of the silver Hyundai and getting in.

It was strange, he mused, as he started the car and began to back out of the spot, how quickly he had gotten used to driving her car instead of his. Certainly her sedan, even adapted as it was to be a police vehicle, was a great deal more comfortable than his Crown Vic, but it was more than that, and every time Andy got behind the wheel, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.

Sharon must have felt the same thing, because as he paused at a stop sign in the parking lot, she reached over to place her hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Andy. For everything. You've been a lifesaver the past few days for me and for Rusty- I don't know what I would have done without you."

Andy turned to her and gave her a grin. "It's no problem Sharon. I'm happy to help."

Her features clouded a bit. "Yes, well, unfortunately Pat says that I can't drive for another two weeks at least, so I'll have to figure something else out, because I can't keep burdening you like this."

Andy looked down to where her hand still rested on his arm. "Sharon, it's not a burden. Besides..." he trailed off, still not meeting her eyes. "If anything, I owe you for all the times you made sure I got home at night, and then got my sorry ass up in the mornings to get to work… that's worth a lot more than a few weeks of getting you and the kid to and from home. Plus, you know how much more comfortable this car is than mine?"

He looked up at the last sentence and gave her a wink, trying to lighten the mood, but it fell flat to both of their ears.

Sharon sighed, and opened her mouth to interrupt, but a honking behind them broke the moment of tension. Relieved, Andy pulled out of the lot and back onto the main road. They drove in awkward silence for a few minutes before Sharon spoke again. "You should have just flipped the lights on, really freaked those guys out."

Andy took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her, and was rewarded with a wicked grin, her eyes twinkling. "I don't believe what I just heard, Sharon "The Rules" Raydor wanted me to turn on the lights just to scare the crap out of some impatient prick in the parking lot of a doctors office?"

She shook her head, but her face betrayed the seriousness of her tone. "Absolutely not. I was merely suggesting that next time we might avoid being interpreted as not following the rules of the road by indicating our presence as law enforcement professionals."

Andy barked out a laugh, and after a moment Sharon joined in too, and same sense of déjà vu he had been feeling all week came over him again. He liked it.

Twenty minutes later, Andy pulled into the parking lot outside Sharon's complex, and gently shook her awake. Sharon woke slowly, her eyes bleary behind her glasses.

"I'm sorry, I must have dozed off." She reached a hand up to the strap of the sling, wincing as she adjusted it off a sore spot in her neck. Looking outside the car, she realized where they were and turned back to Andy.

"Why did you bring me home? I thought we were going back to the office?" Her tone was low and dangerous, and suddenly Andy thought that perhaps he should have re-thought this decision. Warily, he tried to explain.

"I thought you might want to take the afternoon off. I've been through it enough to know that the first day of PT is the worst. And I thought since our case is closed and all we have to do is paperwork, that the rest of us could do that and you could rest a bit."

The anger that had blazed through her at his presumptuousness dissipated slowly as he tried to explain his decision. Truth be told, she was exhausted, her shoulder hurt like hell, and the idea of taking a nap sounded heavenly, but she was certain it wasn't what she should be doing.

As if he could read her mind, Andy continued before she could protest. "Sharon, you were shot a week ago. Most people wouldn't be back at work for a month, not to mention after three days. No one is going to think less of you for taking a few hours off today. Go upstairs, take one of those nice painkillers the doctor prescribed, and get a little rest. I'll go back and help the guys out with the paperwork, and pick up Rusty after his Chess Club meeting."

Sharon wanted to protest further, but instead found herself nodding in agreement. "Okay. Okay. Just this once." She opened the door to the car and stood up, then reached back in for her bags.

"Do you need help getting upstairs?" He asked, and she gave him a smile.

"I'm ok- I'm tired but I can walk just fine. My shoulder's a long way from my leg." She froze as soon as the words left her lips, realizing just how he would take what was supposed to have been a joking comment. Sure enough, all the color drained from his face, and Sharon cursed her tired mind for the sloppy choice of words. "Um, I mean, I'm good. But thank you."

Andy nodded, his expression grim. "Okay, then, uh, I guess I'll see you later." She nodded and closed the passenger door, and walked towards the front door of her building. Unlocking it, she turned back to the car, where Andy was still parked, watching. He gave her a nod of his head before pulling out of the lot, and only after the brake lights of the car had faded from view did she push the front door of the lobby open with a deep sigh.

* * *

Rusty opened the door to the condo slowly, expecting Sharon to be asleep on the couch. Since she had been injured she had been much more tired by the evening, and Flynn had mentioned how drained she had been after her appointment that afternoon. Closing the front door quietly he dropped his backpack and walked quietly towards the couch, only Sharon wasn't there. He peered around the corner towards her bedroom, and while the door was open, the bed was made and empty.

"Sharon?" He called, moving towards back towards the living room, the first tendrils of panic settling in his chest.

"I'm in here."

He turned and almost jogged the few steps to the kitchen, stopping short when he found her standing over the stove, stirring a pot with her left hand. She was dressed in what had become her typical home outfit since she had gotten hurt, soft cotton pants and a loose button-up blouse, easy for her to get on and off without moving her shoulder too much.

"Hey," she said, giving him a smile. "How was school?"

He stammered a moment, still trying to catch up. "Uh, fine. Good…. How are you?"

She walked towards him with a bag of pasta, and held it out to him. Understanding, he took it from her and pulled the bag open before handing it back, and she nodded her head in thanks.

"I'm fine. Lieutenant Flynn convinced me to take the afternoon off after my appointment and I thought I'd make us some dinner, since we've had nothing but takeout and delivery this week."

Rusty nodded absently, still concerned. "You saw the doctor, what did he say?"

Sharon poured the pasta into the water and stirred again. "She took the stitches out, said everything is healing well." She turned from the pasta to regard him seriously. ,"Are you sure everything was okay at school? You look upset."

"No, I'm fine Sharon."

She held his gaze for a second, then another thought seemed to occur to her. "Where is Lieutenant Flynn? I thought he was coming back with you- he was going to help show you-"

Rusty cut her off. "-Show me the exercises for your arm, I know, he told me. He said he had to go run an errand or something, but that he'd be back."

Sharon hummed, and moved towards the refrigerator, propping her hip against the door as she rummaged through the vegetable bin, emerging with a bushel of parsley and scallions. Setting them on the cutting board, she nodded as he stepped up to take over the task of chopping. "Small slices… almost minced. There you go." Rusty's brow was furrowed, concentrating on his task as Sharon brought over a container of mushrooms for him chop as well. She watched him for a moment more, and then turned to retrieve a pan, setting it on the stove top and adding a small amount of olive oil to heat.

The worked side by side for several minutes in a comfortable silence until Sharon cleared her throat. "Rusty," she said, and he immediately looked up from his task at the nervous tone of her voice. "When Lieutenant Flynn- I mean, when Andy told you about the other time I got shot… what did he say happened?"

Now it was Rusty's turn to look nervous, and he stammered a moment before answering, "Just that you were partners, and there was a standoff and you got shot protecting a little girl."

Sharon nodded with his rough assessment. "Did he say anything else? About after or anything?"

Rusty opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it, thinking better of saying anything. "No, not really. Just that you both kind of lost touch… and then you moved to IA." He looked up to Sharon, a pained expression on his face. "Can't you ask him about it?"

Sharon nodded slowly to herself, then once more forcefully. "Yes. You're right. I should," She appraised his work, and reached out to squeeze his arm reassuringly, indicating the subject was closed. "Good work on the chopping. I'm going to sauté these and by then the pasta should be ready and maybe you can help me drain it. And why don't you text Flynn let him know that dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes, and we'd love him to join us."

* * *

When Andy knocked on the door of the apartment almost exactly when the pasta had finished simmering in the sauce, a bit of the tension Sharon had been feeling since their parting words in the car dissipated. She hoped she hadn't accidentally said something that would destroy the fledgling rebuilding of their friendship that had seemed to happen over the past week.

The weeks immediately following the time she had been shot all those years ago were still mostly a blur, lost to a haze of medication and pain. She remembered flashes, images mostly, of her children's worried faces, of Paul trying to use the opportunity to insinuate himself back into her life, and of her sister who had swept in just as the worst part of her recovery and physical therapy started, and efficiently swept Paul right back out.

She also remembered missing Andy, and wondering why he had disappeared from her life. Despite the difficulties, she had thought they made great partners- he was brash and bold where she was generally reserved and more apt to wait before acting- but he had also brought out in her a sense of excitement, of being alive. As a cop, working with him had made her feel a little bit like a superhero. She had relished the challenge of her job with IA, of excelling in FID despite the scorn of her fellow officers, savored the chance to make sure that the oath she swore to as an officer was held up by everyone equally- but until recently with Major Crimes, she hadn't had that moment of feeling like a superhero since those times in Robbery/Homicide with Andy.

Dinner was reserved affair, and Sharon made a mental note to thank Rusty later. He had obviously picked up on the tension between Sharon and Andy, and every time conversation seemed to grind to a halt he'd manage to get it started again, regaling them with tales from school and his frustration with the last few losses of the chess team.

* * *

As they finished their meals, Rusty and Andy insisted on clearing the table and doing the dishes, saying she'd already done enough making dinner when she should have been resting. She moved to her desk, intending to look at the statement of facts from the case that Andy had brought for her from the office, but instead she found herself rummaging through the bottom drawer in her desk, reaching under a slew of neatly labeled hanging files, to a small stack of photos at the very bottom of the drawer. She pulled out the pictures, their colors slightly washed out and the paper curling slightly at the corners with age. She glanced through the first couple, and then stopped at one, giving it a long look.

"Sharon?" She looked up to find Rusty standing by the couch, a quizzical expression on his face, and Andy standing next to him, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Do you want to show me the exercises you need me to do for your arm?"

She nodded and got up from the desk, slipping all but one of the photos back into the drawer, giving them both a grim smile. "Okay, you slave drivers. Let's get this over with."

Rusty proved a quick study with the exercises, especially once Sharon made sure to show him her healing wound, and how much better it looked with the sutures out. Andy carefully showed Rusty everything he'd learned that afternoon, reiterating all of Pat's warnings and recommendations as they went through the different exercises and repetitions.

Already sore from the afternoon's session, Sharon wanted nothing more than to soak her sore shoulder in a hot shower and go to bed. But as the lesson finished and Rusty excused himself to work on his homework in his room, Sharon caught Andy by the forearm as he mumbled something about it being late and letting her get some rest. He turned and looked down at where her hand rested on his arm, as if he couldn't figure out what it was doing there.

"Andy," she said softly, waiting for him to raise his gaze and meet her eyes. When he finally did, she gestured to the couch. "Can we talk?"


End file.
